Andrew Bird at the Fillmore Miami Beach October 8

Andrew Bird, so the story goes, is a classically trained violinist who turned his back on the conservatory to make clever indie rock. That might strike some people as pretentious, but it isn't easy to write songs that are actually clever and actually do rock. (See "Fake Palindromes," whose lyrics are exactly what the title claims, or the guitar-driven "Fiery Crash.") Yet Bird pulls it off. Moreover, few concertgoers leave an Andrew Bird gig feeling worse than when they entered, and the same will likely be true this Monday at the Fillmore.